There are three components to The Blind Cafe Experience:

A Social Dinner Experience In The Dark

What's on the menu? Community...sensory tasting food, dark chocolate, good friends, inspiring stories, live music and meaningful conversation all in the dark. We hire a local professional Chef in each city to help design the menu encouraging them to connect with local farms, locals business’s and build relationships in the community. We source, as much as possible, the food we serve from local farms and business’s relying largely on donations from the community.

A Discussion In The Dark

In our award winning community awareness discussion, you will participate in a group discussion Q & A, between the audience ( you ) and our amazing warm heart felt legally blind keynote speakers & ambassadors. They will share their personal stories with you and you will have the chance to learn, ask questions, and discuss blindness in the dark with the entire room all paying attention.

There is something about engaging in organic conversation in a room full of strangers who can’t see each that instills a sense of community along the group. At the end, a candle is lit and it feels as if your waking up from a collective dream, that you somehow shared with everyone around you.

— Hayley Besecker | 7 x 7 Magazine SF

A Music Performance In The Dark

Ever wonder what it like to experience a live music performance in complete pitch darkness? Blind Cafe Music Productions brings one of the most emotionally powerful music listening experiences possible. These unique and intimate performances bridge the gap between the artist and their audience as they're empowered to participate in an active music listening experience, in the complete and total pitch dark! Learn what it was like to experience live music without the distraction of your visual conditioning, social etiquette and cells phones.

It dawned on me that I most likely hadn’t listened to music in the dark like this since I was a young teenager. It was so liberating to allow my mind and ears to focus on instrumentation with no visual input.

— Brian Johnson, The Marquee Live Music Magazine

Join the Blind Cafe Mailing List & Get A Chance To Win Tickets To A Show

Every month on the 15th day, we give out two free tickets out towards our next upcoming show

Stay in touch about tour dates, the music & the social change happening in the dark!

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Blind Cafe Cities We Tour

All Locations List

Check here if: you are a raving fan of The Blind Cafe &amp; want to become a Blind Cafe Ambassador!

Boulder/Denver

San Francisco

Seattle

Portland

Austin

Dallas

Salt Lake City

Chicago

San Rafael/Marin County

Santa Rosa, CA

Palo Alto/Mountain View/San Jose

Santa Cruz, CA

Monterey, CA

San Luis Obispo, CA

Santa Barbara

San Diego, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Houston, TX

New Orleans

Cambridge, MA/Boston Area

What is The Blind Cafe?

The Blind Cafe is a fiscally sponsored positive social change organization, that uses the concept of darkness to create innovative and imaginative ( pop-up ) events held entirely in the pitch dark ( no blindfolds ). Our events are facilitated by professional trained 'legally blind staff'' and designed to change the way you 'see' the world. Since 2010, The Blind Cafe has had over 11,000 people through the dark.

What happens in the dark at The Blind Cafe?

Our signature program, 'The Blind Cafe Experience' is a pop-up event, an award winning community awareness concert, discussion & dinner in the dark, no blindfolds! This is NOT just another dinner in the dark…it’s a community experience where people connect, learn and break bread together without their visual conditioning, social etiquette and cell phones.

As Seen On

There is something about engaging in organic conversation in a room full of strangers who can’t see each that instills a sense of community along the group. At the end, a candle is lit and it feels as if your waking up from a collective dream, that you somehow shared with everyone around you.

— Hayley Besecker | 7 x 7 Magazine SF

I knew somehow in your lovely venue when our walls were down and hearts were open that he was special and the one for me. We fell in love at the Blind Cafe.

— Danielle, Seattle Blind Cafe Guest

Interested in joining us in the dark for a Blind Cafe?

The Blind Café does not try to perfectly recreate blindness. Instead, it allows people to interact, trust each other, and experience community in an entirely new way. In the dark, there are no uncomfortable glances, no self-consciousness about what you’re wearing or what you weigh, no distinction between the sighted and blind.